Help Save Sofia's Life

Not the medical part. The recipient's health insurance covers your evaluation, the surgery, your hospital stay and your follow-up appointments, whether or not you know the recipient. What is not automatically covered is lost wages and travel. The National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) reimburses travel, lodging, dependent care and lost wages for donors who qualify, and the transplant social worker helps you apply. One caveat worth knowing up front, in Sentara's own words: if the evaluation turns up a pre-existing condition that needs further work-up, that part may be billed to your own insurance.

Most donors make a full recovery four to six weeks after surgery. People with desk or remote jobs are often back sooner; physically demanding jobs can take six to eight weeks. No lifting anything heavy for about six weeks. Most donors are in the hospital only one to three days.

Donating does not change your life expectancy, and donors are able to return to work, normal activity and a regular diet. Fewer than 1% of donors go on to develop end-stage kidney disease, and if that ever happened, you would receive higher priority on the national waiting list. Living donation is still surgery, so there are real risks (bleeding, infection, hernia) that your surgeon will go through with you honestly. Donors are screened thoroughly and are only approved if they are healthy.

You can still help her, and this is important enough that we gave it its own section above. Through kidney paired donation your kidney goes to a patient who matches you, and that patient's willing but incompatible donor gives a matching kidney to Sofia. Sentara Norfolk General, the center that evaluates Sofia's donors, arranges these through the National Kidney Registry, and the federal transplant network runs a national program that is free to join. Your blood type does not have to match Sofia's. This is why donors of every blood type are worth screening.

A kidney from a living donor lasts about 15 to 20 years on average, compared with 7 to 10 years from a deceased donor, and it is more likely to start working immediately. Sofia is 12. The difference is measured in the years of her life.

No. The prescreening form takes about ten minutes and is confidential. You can stop at any point, for any reason, and you never have to give a reason. Sofia's family never sees your medical information. Federal rules require the hospital to assign you an independent donor advocate whose only job is to protect your interests and make sure your decision is free from pressure.

Yes. Donors can be evaluated near home, and in paired donation the kidney can be shipped or the donor can travel. Start with the prescreening form and the team will work out logistics with you.

Use the Sentara prescreening form in the How To Be Screened section below, and enter Sofia's name, date of birth and CHKD as the transplant hospital. Questions first are welcome: kidney4sofia@gmail.com.